A Smidge of Ketchup – United States of Tara

Recently I had a mini Tara-thon that allowed me to wrap up the first season. And now having to seen it in it's entirety I can say that it's a damn fine show. It's really almost enough to make me want to get cable again. It's that good; it makes me want to spend money.

It's really remarkable how much emotion the second half of the season packed on. When Charmaine and Buck bond after Charmaine's "corrective" surgery it's touching. When Marshall attempts to consummate his crush you root for the kid because you're so invested in his fragile awkwardness. Diablo Cody could quite possibly be the shit, because this show has some mighty fine writing.




The second half of the season is also when Gene takes his time to shine. Nathan Corddry's Gene manages to ride the seesaw between creepy and vulnerable like a pro. One minute he's completely abusing his authority and the next he's putting himself completely out there. But every time Gene's on the screen I'm hanging on his every word.

Again, the second half of the season is when the Alters gain some dimension. In the aforementioned "corrective" surgery episode, Buck gains some depth by not being a complete jerk (and his stories are always enjoyable.) Alice's desire for a baby goes from comedy to tragedy within the span of an episode and seeing her façade crack is powerful.

Of course it's T who drives the later episodes. Her actions move the show toward the season finale. And it's her actions that are the most difficult to watch. The blowback from her actions just makes you shake your head in disbelief.

It's weird, because I usually watch television with little degree of investment in the characters. If it's a network show I don't have to worry about characters because networks don't like to rock the boat. Things get more unpredictable as you move up from basic cable channels to pay cable, but generally creators play things safe. But I'm really invested in the Gregson family. I care about Max, Tara, Marshall and even Kate.

And so even though Showtime gave Brotherhood the axe and still hasn't released the second season of Huff on dvd, United States of Tara is good enough that I'll turn my grudge down a notch.